The present invention relates to a method for deacidification of printed or inscribed paper products (in the following called xe2x80x9cbooksxe2x80x9d for short) as well as a corresponding device for deacidification.
A generic method as well as a corresponding device is already known from WO 96/12066. Here, the book, in a standing, opened position, is fanned open with respect to its individual pages by means of a large-volume opening jet and the book is treated by means of jets of fluidized agent and separate air jets arranged individually along a swivel arm moving back and forth underneath the book in an alternating arrangement between the fanned-open pages of the book. In the case of the method mentioned above, it has become evident that the agent is not always introduced between the individual pages of the book in a uniform manner.
The object of the present invention is to improve the generic method as well as the associated device in such a way that the agent can be introduced between the pages of the book in the most uniform manner possible.
The present object is achieved by the fact that the opening jet has a curved shape when viewed in section. The curve is, appropriately, orientated towards the spine of the book. Achieved thereby is an optimal opening of the book pages for the introduction of the agent, and this both in the center region of the book and at the edge regions, i.e. in the vicinity of the cover of the book. The curved opening jet has a flat form when viewed in section. Appropriately, the opening jet is slightly inclined towards the spine of the book.
For treating especially large books, volumes of newspapers, or files, according to the invention the book are additionally acted upon from the side turned away from the spine by a further opening jet, which appropriately is likewise arranged so as to be inclined towards the spine of the book. Attained thereby is an optimal opening of the individual book pages up to the spine of the book.
This additional opening jet is appropriately, likewise viewed in section, a curved opening jet with a larger diameter in comparison to the main opening jet.
It is advantageous when this additional opening jet is adjustable with respect both to its height position and its inclination towards the spine of the book, in order to be able to appropriately treat books of different sizes. This additional opening jet likewise has a flat shape when viewed in section.
A further aspect of the present invention concerns the reduction of the flow resistance prevailing between the individual pages of the book. According to the invention, this is achieved by the fact that on the opposite page of the book a purposeful suction is undertaken.
The reduction of the flow resistance makes possible a lower injection pressure and, as a consequence, a reduction of the mechanical stress on the individual pages of the book, without, on the other hand, degrading the treatment result.
In order to ensure the greatest possible reduction of the flow resistance, the suction appropriately takes place specifically in the region of the exit point of the jet of agent from the upper side of the book, preferably in the region of the book facing the spine of the book.
In order to enable the treatment of differently sized books, the suction is varied in position depending of the type of book to be treated. The varying of this position can, if necessary, even take place automatically.
The method according to the invention includes, also coordinately claims, the idea of generating the jet of agent by premixing an atomizer gas, e.g. pressurized air, and the fluidized agent beforehand in a mixing chamber and subsequently introducing the homogenized mixture into the book. Here, the mixing preferably takes place directly in a mixing chamber of the agent nozzle. This method improves the uniformity of the introduction of the agent between the individual pages in comparison to the method in the prior art mentioned in the introduction, in which method provision is made for separate jets of the agent alternating with jets of air. An uneven acting upon the book by the agent is thus avoided.
In order to achieve the greatest possible uniformity of the agent in the jet of agent, the mixing chamber is subject to overpressure, the agent and/or the atomizer gas appropriately being fed to the agent nozzle from both sides.
According to the present invention, the jet of agent is produced by means of an agent nozzle with a slot-shaped exit opening, which sweeps the fanned-open pages of the book back and forth in a pendular manner. For optimization of the introduction of agent between the individual pages of the book in the region of the spine of the book, the jet of the agent is orientated somewhat towards the spine of the book, as far as the core of the jet is concerned. In addition, according to a further development, the angle of inclination of the core of the jet increases from the outside to the inside of the book, whereby an optimal acting upon the book is achieved.
A further concept, as a coordinated component of the entire concept, consists in injecting a paper-strengthening means for reinforcing the paper, appropriately together with the agent during the treatment process.
The paper-strengthening measure should appropriately be carried out during the conditioning step following the treatment step under increased atmospheric moisture. In order to accelerate the paper strengthening, during the conditioning step activating means are additionally introduced.
In order to ensure an especially high flexibility of treatment, some jets of the agent can advantageously be made available as well without paper-strengthening means, whereby when necessary (e.g. during the treatment of a book furnished with very thin paper) a switching between the jets of the agent takes place.
By virtue of the fact that both the conditioning and the activating of the paper-strengthening means take place at the same time by means of one moist-air jet, the paper strengthening can be advantageously integrated into the existing process without additional and costly process steps.
In order to increase the moisture penetration of the jet in the region of the individual fanned-open book pages, the moist-air jet is acted upon by a flow-influencing element moving back and forth over the cross-section of the jet, e.g. in the form of a flat, rod-shaped structure.
The amount of agent required for the treatment of a book consists of the portion of agent for the neutralization of the paper plus that portion for ensuring a so-called xe2x80x9calkaline reservexe2x80x9d. The agent is applied by the present method in a constant manner, whereby the amount to be supplied is determined by means of the weight of the book to be treated. From this results the so-called xe2x80x9cbase timexe2x80x9d for treating the book. Rough papers can be sufficiently treated using the base time. Smooth papers, on the other hand, accept the agent less well, and must therefore, as a rule, be treated longer. Until now, it was only possible to have the surface roughness inexactly estimated by operating personnel and then to always treat the books somewhat longer, i.e. with an additional time for certainty, which led to an increased consumption of the agent; in addition, the books to be treated contained an excessive amount of the agent.
The method according to the invention proposes on this point, and coordinately claims, to determine the roughness of the paper to be treated by means of an optical or acoustic paper-roughness measurement, and with the aid of the determined roughness, to set the degree of treatment, in particular the length of the treatment with the agent. Through these measures, for every quality of paper the optimal portion of agent is introduced into the paper.
Furthermore, there exists a special problem in the treatment of paper pages in so-called xe2x80x9corganizersxe2x80x9d, due to the clamp that holds the paper in these. This type of organizers, for one thing, have a very differing degree of fullness, and for another thing the paper stack is not located inside the organizer in the exact center.
In this connection, the invention proposes, as is claimed in coordinated manner, that the paper pages to be placed in organizers be gripped on both sides, during the treatment, from the outside inwards in their region adjacent to the spine of the organizer, in simulation of a bound-together spine. In this way, the organizer so gripped can be acted upon by the agent just as a book is.
In addition, the invention includes a device for deacidification treatment of printed and paper products, in which device, for the reduction of the flow resistance inside the book during the treatment with the agent, an additional suction nozzle is positioned on the side of the book opposite the opening-jet nozzle. In order to adapt to the individual book to be treated, the suction nozzle is appropriately designed to be adjustable in height. An especially great reduction of the flow resistance is achieved by the fact that the shape of the suction nozzle, viewed in cross-section, approximately corresponds to the contour of the book in the region of the spine of the book and/or the suction nozzle is positioned approximately the same distance from the book as the opening-jet nozzle.
In order to achieve an optimal fanning-open of the positioned book, the exit opening of the opening-jet nozzle is designed as a curved slot nozzle, e.g. as an slot nozzle in the shape of an arc of circle.
Further, it is of advantage when the slot nozzle is inclined slightly from the parallel towards the spine of the book.
For the treatment of especially large books, files, organizers, etc., according to a further arrangement of the device according to the invention provision is made for an additional opening-jet nozzle positioned laterally to the book on the side opposite the spine of the book, the opening jet being inclined towards the spine of the book with regard to its jet core. The opening-jet nozzles can be arranged so as to be slidable and/or tiltable towards the spine of the book in order to ensure different angular positions.
According to a further arrangement, the agent nozzle is designed as a mixing nozzle, in which a mixture of agent and atomizer gas is made available for injection into the book, which has the consequence that an especially uniform acting upon the book with agent is achieved.
The agent nozzle, according to a special form of embodiment of the invention, is designed with a slot shape and is mounted on a pivot arm. The dimensioning of the agent nozzle lies in a region from 0.1 to 1.0 mm, preferably 0.2 to 0.7 mm.
The determination of the direction of the jet of agent takes place through the alignment of individual connecting ducts between an atomizer chamber, in particular an air chamber, as well as a mixing chamber, into which the fluidized agent is injected. The connecting ducts are appropriately inclined towards the spine of the book.
For treating organizers, the support of the device displays gripping means for treating paper a pages placed into the organizer, which means grip the individual paper pages as a whole at their side in the region adjacent to the spine of the organizer and thereby simulate a rigid book spine with the organizer. In this way, the organizer can be treated with the agent like a book in the above-described manner.
The gripping means include, on both sides of the main outside surface of the individual paper pages, position-adjustable support rollers that are orientated towards the paper and, in the gripping state, rest against the outsides of the paper.
In order to compensate for different fill states of an organizer, each of the support rollers is mounted eccentrically with respect to its axis, so that by rotating the support roller around its axis a change of spacing between the support roller and the paper can be achieved in a simple manner.
Over lengths of the paper pages several support rollers per page can be arranged.